CA: Coalinga State Hospital said to be on lockdown, but no official confirmation given

Trash-littered hallways, jammed doors, broken windows and clogged sewage are problems reported at Coalinga State Hospital, which is being described as having “riot-like conditions,” according to emails sent to The Bee.

On Monday morning, the hospital said it could not confirm if the facility was on lockdown, but that more information would be available Tuesday.

The hospital has1,286 beds, according to its website. Of that, 941 patients, or 73 percent of the population in 2016, are classified as sexually violent predators. Full Article

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This is no “hospital,” nor are its inhabitants “patients.” This is simply indefinite, post-incarceration, incarceration. Its inhabitants: inmates. It all reminds me of how Sharper Future was called “treatment,” and we were called “clients” (when we were not!). All this doublespeak is ridiculous. If you want truly Orwellian examples, just refer to the “sex offender” industry; it has what the future has in store for everyone else, it seems.

The Dept of State Hospitals is not telling the truth, and sooner or later the truth will come out. After the US Supreme Court ruled late last year that states could not legally restrict sex offenders from accessing the Internet / social media, the DSH went into panic mode. Why? Because they have been attempting to keep all 1,300 civilian residents at Coalinga State Hospial (DSH-Coalinga) in near incommunicado conditions for years. They are particularly incensed that the 300 or so voters among the patients there recently tipped the scales and helped defeat a local sales tax increase that caused Coalinga city hall to lay off nearly 2 dozen employees, many of them officers and firemen. Coalinga is a small town and many of the workers at the hosp live there or are related or know those who were laid off. It’s gotten very ugly at the hosp between patients and staff since that vote loss last November. So in December DSH rushed thru “emergency rule changes” without notifying anybody during Christmas break with the intent to surprise the patients with confiscation of all electronic property that has even the remotest potential for internet/social media connectivity…in violation of the Sup Ct’s ruling. Now get this. What reason did DHS give for this emergency confiscation? Child porn has been discovered and 2 dozen arrested and 4 prosecuted since 2016. Well, yep, that’s pretty bad I agree. But look at the statistics, that’s less than 1 percent of the population. So, what kicked off the turmoil? Patients are angry that the entire population are getting blanket blame in the media (stories like yours) for the actions of a very few over several years. They are also angry that the Dept is trying to cover up the fact that a number of staff have been arrested for smuggling that child porn into these patients, and not one has yet to be prosecuted. They never tell the media that, nor that an officer killed a patient there last year by stomping him to death, and continues to walk the halls. Since the lockdown the civil pts have been held incommunicado and prevented from contacting all family, friends or attorneys for nearly a whole week. They are angry about this violation of their civil rights. They have also been kept locked indoors without sun, fresh air or exercise, things even prisoners in SHU or AdSep or Guantanamo are not legally denied…and they are NOT prisoners, most not even on parole, and many are registered voters. It’s no wonder there’s no easy peace. What the fuss is about in the confiscation is that he staff are not permitting the civil residents to safeguard their own digital personal communications, electronic devices with documents, journals, legal materials and treatment materials, which they are told must all be forfieted. This is a blatant violation of their constitutional rights to privacy and protected communications. But does anyone come to their defense? No. Why. The DSH used two words like a hammer that has successfully closed every mouth opened by the public who would dare to speak in their behalf: child pornography. But the patients are not going to surrender their personal digital property peacefully whether the public or the courts will protect them or not. Up till now off all state mental hospitals, Coalinga has been the safest for staff and peers as having the least percentage of assaults against staff or patients since it was built in 2005…and that’s even while the Dept continues to paint them as “the worst of the worst” violent sexual offenders. The very first director knew about the elephant in the room when he cut the ribbon opeing this Death Camp: “Ninety percent of the men who come here will die here.” Even though “on paper” the objective is treatment and release, that has not been the reality, but rather more than twice as many civilian patients (not prisoners) have died there than have been released since this SVP law went into effect. They all know most will never again see the light of day in their lifetimes. Its about time the media open their eyes and ears and stop lapping up every morsel the Dept. tosses them. There’s another side of the story if anyone is brave enough to tell it. Their clarion call is… NO JUSTICE – NO PEACE! Contact the community liaison for Detainee-Americans for Civic Equality (DACE), Robert Turner in Fresno for info on the real story behind the protests at: robertsturner52 at gmail . com

David Kennerly, "Childhood Innocence" As An Almost Supernatural Concept.January 20, 2018

Irish, I couldn’t agree more. I’ve been watching CSH for many years, now and even organized the first (and only, I’m sorry to say) protest in front of the building. I put together a number of YouTube videos about it and wrote about it on my blog(s). I share your frustration with a really stunning injustice that appears to just go on forever, unchecked by reason or principle. I’ve emailed Bob (with whom I’m familiar) and would like to be able to email you, as well if you are willing. Thanks!

Just spoke to my brother in Coalinga concentration camp. They are still on lockdown being punitive punished for voting in the city election. Brenden Price is the name my brother told me is in charge of the camp. He said they told alot of lies to the media about the happenings in there. Their eletronics have been confenscated and stored off site,but they may have been destroyed. As he stated this is retaliation for the Coalinga tax vote. They can call for 15 minutes only. This is punishment, not what a civil detaniee is about. Those in charge should be indited for suddition and treason. If this can happen to Americans and no one speaks up,who will be there when they come for you.

I was almost, almost civilly committed in NY. Good thing I had a lot of money for an experienced (rare) lawyer for the hearings. 1 conviction for poss & decem cp. Under super crippling proba & therapy for 10yrs. The WEEKLY costs are again crippling. Most all of the guys so far who end (max out) are released with “unfavorable” therapy reports. After 10years!!!

Of course unfavorable!!! A defense lawyer does not defend sex offenders for all of a sudden they have a moral conscience epidemic! And what chance would any defendant have if the doctor works for the state and the lawyer and the judge and the DA and anyone you can think of! There is no neutral, non bias, non prejudice etc in this equation!!!

I grew up in upstate NY in the 70s and 80s Have been in PA for 20 plus now. I can say NY, CA, and FL are shit hole states. Its out of control politicians on both sides causing the problems. We need to get some cases to the SCOTUS to stop this shit only way to stop it.

These gentlemen need to band together as they did in the sales tax vote which was defeated, but now need to ensure that they vote en-mass to defeat and throw out of office the current mayor and council people.

It is rare to see RSO’s actually exercise real political power….this can be a shinning example of what can be done when people band together and become…politically conscious.

David Kennerly, I Stopped At The Harris Ranch For Lunch & Was Locked-Up Next To the World's Largest Cattle FeedlotJanuary 19, 2018

Agreed! This would mark the first time Detainees have managed to really raise hell over their status at CSH. For such a “violent” group they certainly have been extraordinarily passive, thus far.

Please note that, as of Friday evening, they are STILL kept from communicating with those of us on the outside. Does this still sound like they are “not to be punished” and held “in the least restrictive means possible?”

I really have no idea what is going on inside and can only imagine. We have had only the administration’s reports and the media’s slavishly incurious reporting which relies entirely upon words from the administration for any news.

For more accurate information about what’s really going on inside CSH and why the men are actually protesting you can contact the community liaison of Detainee-Americans for Civic Equality (DACE), Robert Turner, in fresno at robertsturner52 at gmail . com. Tell him Irish sent ya!

Hi James… first a correction: they aren’t inmates, bro, they are civilian residents detained by the court for treatment following prison completion. Most aren’t on parole anymore and many are registered voters. Now, as for your idea of kicking out the Coalinga mayor and city council…that has crossed the minds of their in-house voter advocacy group called Detainee-Americans for Civil Equality (DACE). While the men there are of course concerned about a lot more going on right now…numerous daily violations of their civil rights with no one on the outside stepping up to help them, DACE is looking for some good potential candidates in the Coalinga community who’d like to run for office (maybe one of the new legal cannabis partners in the city who aren’t getting proper representation?). Most votes for council come down to 20, 50 or 100 or so, sometimes even less. DACE can gather at least 300. Help them find some good people: contact their community liaison, Bob Turner in freso at robertsturner52 at gmail . com He needs all the help he can get. Tell him Irish sent ya!

Coalinga State Hospital officials cloud issues over why patient protests erupted
By Robert Turner, Community Liaison for Detainee-Americans for Civic Equality
Within the confines of Coalinga State Hospital, a patient-organized group that distributes election material to patients and helps their peers there in registering to vote, wants to set the record straight about ongoing protests that have brought the hospital to a lockdown. Detainee-Americans for Civic Equality (DACE), comprised of patients inside the state facility, say someone needs to clarify erroneous information coming from hospital officials. These hospital residents are disturbed that misinformation is being given to their families and attorneys over the recent turmoil in the treatment facility, painting an incorrect picture about the protests which started last Friday, January 12.
Coalinga State Hospital (CSH) is the largest facility in the nation devoted to concentrating and re-educating sex offenders. The nearly thousand civil detainees currently locked away in the state hospital are not there for punishment, since every one of them have completed their prison sentences, but because state-sanctioned expert psychologist evaluators have determined that they are likely sometime in the future to commit a sex crime again. Hence, the civil rather than criminal designation to their confinement, which constitutionally requires they be treated better than prisoners are, and housed in a “least-restrictive environment.”
DACE, to be clear, wasn’t organized to represent patients publicly, but the hospital-wide patient government cannot speak publicly because its bylaws don’t allow it to become involved in patient protests. Members of DACE find this void in balancing public information unacceptable. Since the hospital opened in 2005, patients there have increasingly viewed the hospital more as adversary than healer. In the past half month tensions have reached a breaking point.
The causes for the turmoil in the state facility are almost too numerous to mention, but one issue that seriously disturbs patients inside CSH is the conflating of the entire general population with a few patients who have been caught with child pornography. Because of this, patients have never been allowed access to the Internet, and now the administration is set to confiscate all remaining patient-owned computers. DACE asserts that less than one percent have been arrested on such charges, and far less than that have been convicted since the hospital opened. Staff members who have been caught smuggling in illegal pornography have yet to be either charged or convicted. The complicity of hospital workers in giving access to child porn, the small numbers of patients actually involved, and the fact that the hospital doesn’t have the funds to investigate active cases are issues the administration would like to keep camouflaged, according to DACE.
The Department of State Hospitals (DSH) recently and underhandedly pushed through a major restriction to the type of electronic property it will allow patients to own. Rushed through as “emergency rulemaking” during Christmas week, DSH caught patients unawares and successfully thwarted patient residents, their families, and attorneys from mounting timely challenges. DACE claims that DSH failed in its duty to post these rule changes in advance, as procedures require, and that the department additionally failed to file the changes in a timely manner with the statutorily mandated vetting agency, the Office of Administrative Law.
According to one active DACE member who prefers to remain anonymous, it was this “Christmas surprise” that sparked the patients’ ire. The fact that the OAL not only seemed to abet the shady process but itself rushed the approval through to the Secretary of State by January 12th all combined to stir up the stressed-out population. The combative mood was set when new rules were announced at a town hall meeting of patient organizers in the auditorium that night, drawing a crowd of nearly 500. Realizing that once again the administration had succeeded in demonizing the entire population for the actions of a few left many seething. Pockets of disgruntled patients took to the halls and some, advocating civil disobedience, smashed several clocks, jammed door locks, overturned trash cans, and splattered food. Over the following nights, with shouts of “No justice, no peace!” as the clarion call, the level of destruction ramped up from unit to unit, though no workers or hospital officers were hurt during the protests. With the onset of the hospital lockdown on January 14, the administration quickly acted to remove all patient access to incoming and outgoing telephone calls.
The patient population, says DACE in a January 18 press release, feel completely dehumanized, especially upon learning the hospital will backtrack on granting Internet access. CSH’s civilly committed sex offenders, most of whom have completed their parole and so are allowed to vote in elections, are supposed to have all of the rights afforded free citizens, short of being able to leave the grounds of the facility. The Supreme Court’s recent ruling ensuring sex offenders access to social media is being totally ignored by DSH officials.
Patients, who refer to themselves as “hosprisoners” are already despondent over a decades-long unresolved federal suit against DSH and hospital administrators for what they feel are flagrant and ongoing violations of their civil rights. Over the past year hospital staff have repeatedly taken away previously allowed property, upped already harsh restrictions on monthly packages, cut down on food quality and medical care, and refused to investigate the death of a patient at the hands of an officer. The newly unveiled limits on electronics, reducing patients to just one TV, a radio, and a CD player seemed to ratchet things to an unacceptably oppressive limit. Patients at Coalinga State Hospital just want to be treated as they are now classified by law—detained civilians—who ought not to suffer conditions of confinement worse than they suffered while serving their prison terms.

Robert Turner is the Community Liaison for Detainee-Americans for Civic Equality (DACE). He spent twelve years after the end of his prison term confined in Atascadero and Coalinga State Hospitals before finally being released in 2012.

Additionally, a complaint was filed online with the Office of the California Attorney General’s Bureau of MediCal Fraud and Elder Abuse.

Many of these civil residents are elderly and infirm and since the lockdown few are being given opportunities for fresh air, sunshine and exercise, but are confined to their quarters and denied (for a week now) any means to contact their families. Since the Coalinga local sales tax measure went down to defeat the city has blamed CSH resident for having to lay off many officers, firemen, and city hall workers because the hospital residents’ votes tipped the balance. Many staff at CSH are related to, neighbors of, or friends with those in town who lost their jobs, and they are taking it out on the patients. The effort to confiscate their personal property (esp. denying them contact with outside groups and political organizations via phone, or internet) is pure retaliation. Once the US Supreme Court ruled at the end of last year that states could not prevent sex offenders from Internet social media, the DSH went into panic mode determined that these civil residents would NEVER have such a right given them. What is more, the Mayor and entire city council have filed a lawsuit in Fresno Superior Court to disenfranchise these patients. There is a underground effort to make these men suffer for what they have done. This needs to be investigated immediately while the lockdown is in place so that you can see for yourself the abusive conditions that not even prisoners are forced to endure.

Blaming the many for the potential offenses of the few, what you describe at Coalinga is the whole social environment surrounding registration laws — in microcosm.
Thank you for all your work in this. I would have not heard of this otherwise than from your posts. Since becoming a registrant, my eyes have been opened to many things non-registrants generally never experience or can even imagine.

What should we do about Coalinga? Tim Moore’s suggestion that we have a rapid-response group for situations like Coalinga State Hospital’s starkly unconstitutional actions is an excellent one. Here is a brief synopsis of what is happening there as best as I can tell and in the absence of any information from Detainees in more than a week: 1. Detainees staged a demonstration to protest against Administration’s announcement that they would seize a great deal of “Patient” property, including electronics that were previously allowed, “Excess” CDs, DVDs and Blu-rays, and more. This was following Coalinga’s (the city) filing of a lawsuit seeking to disenfranchise Detainees at CSH in the aftermath of Detainees providing critical “no” votes in opposition to a city sales tax increase. 2. CSH Administrators imposed their version of “martial law” at CSH, arresting several “trouble-makers” and shutting down all Detainee phone lines going in-and-out of the institution. As best as I can tell, no one has been able to speak with Detainees from the outside in the last week except perhaps for attorneys who have personally visited there. Even lawyers were prevented from talking with Detainees on the phone. This may have changed now according to several unidentified staff members I spoke with (before they hung-up on me). 3. CSH Administrators advance a story to the media about why they are seizing property from Detainees: child porn even though such material has been found on less than one percent of Detainees’ digital files. I have no idea what they are considering to be “child porn,” however and we know that that term is continuously misused by authorities. Reports from Detainees immediately prior to the total lockdown last weekend were that the staff and administration were directly retaliating against the exercise of Detainee’s right to vote. I have tried calling Detainees daily since last weekend and, in each case, the phones continue to ring OR a staff member has answered and offered no information beyond the fact that Detainees no longer have access to the phones. When pressed further about this issue, they have simply hung-up. So, I ask again, what can we do?

Notify media? Tell them there is another side to the story that needs to be investigated? I know that media have already reported this, but they have only reported what the DSH has told them. Who might take an alternative story and run with it?

“Who might take an alternative story and run with it?” Reason Magazine. I’m working on it. I can’t say that I’ve had much luck, so far, but I’ll try again tonight and tomorrow. Perhaps if other people would email them and Tweet them that would be helpful.

Good point. I heard about this first through your tweets. Those of us who have it might as well use it, before they think of a way to block it for use in civic organizing.
How does one do it? We need a course on tweeting civil action.

Well, for contacting Reason, that is straightforward enough. However, I have rarely gotten any action from them, despite my involvement with Reason over the years. They are pretty nervous about the whole sex offender thing but, to their very great credit, have publicly denounced both the Registry and civil commitment of sex offenders. Obviously, despite their reticence, they are way out in front of this issue when compared to other media. Lenore was a strategically great addition to their roster which enabled them to break through their squeamishness as she was able to come at the topic from a completely different angle (as a mother who was being bullied by the received wisdom of the mob). As such, she is pretty well unassailable by sex hysterics, not to mention she’s a woman. But as for putting together some kind of fast-response team, then we can suggest (as you and I have done), establishing and following one another’s Twitter accounts. We should probably agree on a hashtag, perhaps #sexregistrant. Using that tag and “following” individuals from here and elsewhere, we can at least get information to a larger group. Of course, to some extent this is what this forum is also doing in helping to inform and attract a larger base. Twitter’s advantage may be in quickly “pushing” notifications and making clear how we might all respond, as a group, to a particular event. Crucially, it also offers the possibility of sending private, direct messages to each other to discuss strategy. In the case of CSH, we need to get the media involved but also informed in a way that they clearly are not. So that might mean press releases, emails and tweets.

It has private discussion and it has blocking those who just like poking you with a metaphorical stick for their amusement, like all too often happens here. You can be the moderator in chief.
As for rapid response kudos to Janice and the call for ceasing and desisting. Don’t know how anyone can better that. Nonetheless, their must be actions for us who are legally tone deaf and financially challenged. I mean concerted actions like that NARSOL Halloween letter action, Oncefallen’ Rally in Tallahassee, or Carson march.

I would like to comment on what is going on inside Coalinga. As mentioned above, the hospital has been on lockdown for over a week. Hospital residents had only talked about staging a peaceful strike scheduled to begin on Sunday night 1/14/18. Admin preempted the strike by locking the hospital down. At that point there had been only minor disturbances across the hosp (food thrown on walls, one officer’s kiosk suffered minor damage to a digital display). The following day they took away all phone access and have only just begun allowing very limited phone calls to lawyers. They claim there are no plans to restore access to phones for calling patient’s families any time soon. There has been limited communication amongst the patients here, owing to the lack of phones. Administration recently announced the following plan to implement their new rule.

There will be a 9 day Amnesty period (beginning on 1/19 and ending on 1/28 at 4 p.m.). During that time patients may dispose of all of the “now-illegal” property for destruction. It can be disposed of anonymously and it will be destroyed. Patients may request their property be sent home, but in order to do so, they must consent in writing allowing staff to search of their property/digital media. Patients may also designate specific files and folders on their digital media which are legal and/or treatment material (once again signing a release for staff to search the materials) and that material will then be moved onto a state supplied 8 gig flash drive which they will hold for us and allow us to use in their presence. Refusal to give consent to search any devices will result in that device being destroyed. They further announced there will be no reimbursement for property whatsoever, but they will pay for shipping if patients consent to a search first.

Admin alleges that the patients are striking and refusing to work. In truth, the lockdown came before the strike could begin and all jobs were suspended without pay by administration, so it would be impossible for patients to refuse to work when all jobs were suspended without pay by administration.

Administration claims 2 to 3 new child porn cases a month and over 200 patients in possession of child porn. This is another lie being put forth by administration. A recent reply to a patient’s Freedom of Information request stated that the actual numbers are, 17 patients charged, and 29 convictions since the hospital opened in 2005. Since 2005, 2300 patients have passed through or are still in this hospital. (Source: Office of State Hospitals, Legal Services division.)

Administration claims this rule is strictly about child porn. That is not true at all. If it is, then why have they included reducing the number of televisions we can have from two to one. And why only one DVD or Blue Ray player? How does that impact child porn? Why only one Radio or music player? As they have done many times in the past, they are using an excuse (this time it is child porn, in the past they have used fire hazard or other equally flimsy excuses) to come take away our property. The goal has nothing to do with child porn, the goal is and always has been to take away the property we have spent our hard earned money on. The goal is to reduce this hospital to as close to a prison setting as possible. As usual, there is only a vague direction to staff as to what property to take and what not to take, and much room for interpretation. The result will be, as it has often been in the past, that staff doing the searches will take far more property than they should and when it is too late, well, it’s too late.

A rough (and very low) estimating of the financial impact this action will have on the Coalinga hospital residents is as follows. Allowing for 1300 men, about 50% of the men have an xbox and some games, several portable hard drives, thumb drives and sd cards. That alone runs to a half million dollars worth of property which will be thrown into the garbage can. Remember, this half million comes from men who earn $1 an hour, 10 hours a week max. Many men have more than the low estimate above as they have been languishing here for nearly 20 years.

Lastly, you should know the atmosphere in here. Staff on the units are full of jokes about how maybe we should learn to read now that we won’t have movies to watch, or enjoy that while you can… Patients are angry, angrier than you can imagine. Most men here have given up on life, lost all hope and have resigned themselves to dying here in this place. All they have left is a t.v., an xbox, some movies to watch. That is the sum of most of the men’s lives here. Now they want to come and take it all away and they do so with laughter….

I don’t know how you managed to do it if, as I understand, you are yourself locked-up at Coalinga, but thank you for your information about what is going on at CSH. Perhaps you have gotten this message out with your lawyer. What, exactly, are they saying about reinstating access to phone calls? How is it that they can remove all access, even to lawyers, when prisons do have access to phones? This is completely outrageous.

St. Martin’s a good choice for information, but a better one, that’s been a patient liaison, as well as several other hospital-wide ‘ombudsman’-like positions, is Norman Bell. He’s also got the benefit of a legal background, too. Unfortunately, with the phones down, as well as any other lines of contact, I’m not sure how to get ahold of him

First of all, if anyone is in contact with Janice, could you please have her contact me at steve.cerniglia@yahoo.com or call me after this hostage situation is over at 559-934-1228 regarding the our voting situation. It’s rather important. Thanks. Now, I call this a hostage situation because that is exactly what this is. We are no longer being civilly detained for Treatment. We are now being held hostage by State sponsored terrorists. We are being held in our cages (units), being fed what and when these terrorists decide. We are being denied complete access to all communication to the outside world; denied access to medical services that have been scheduled in the recent past; having our property, in fact, our way of life in here taken away from us, leaving many depressed and in despair; denied emotional, physical and psychological access and support with our loved ones; denied access our legal representatives and courts; denied access to the media, outside agencies and law enforcement entities who may be able to rescue us from these terrorists; and our so-called Patient’s Right’s Advocates are no where to be found. In fact, these terrorist have even removed the PRA phone from the units which would enable us to contact our PRA if they weren’t missing in action. So, my plea to anyone reading this who is in the community who can contact the civil rights division of the FBI, or any other agency they think might be able to at least gain legal access to this terrorist camp and come speak to the hostages, and not rely on the falsehoods and terrorist propaganda that these terrorists are putting forth to the media, and come see for themselves. Our fine men and women of this great nation are in foreign lands fighting terrorists who can and want to hurt this great nation, but no one seems to give a shit about the terrorists right here in our own back yard. WHAT A COUNTRY!!!

Steve… I do believe our friend in Fresno, Robert Turner, who is the community liaison for Detainee-Americans for Civic Equality (DACE) at CSH, has contacted the Dept. of Justice over the last weekend. As of now I haven’t heard from him whether they’ve responded. Robert’s being kept posted on all thats happening inside the hosprison to all the hosprisoners. Hopefully the DOJ will listen and come in and pull some out and talk with them outside the company of the State oppressors. We’ve also heard that Janice is now preparing to obtain a TRO (temp restraining order) from the Fed Eastern Dist court by no later than Friday the 26th and she recommends that none of the hosprisoners surrender a single item of their previously approved property. Word is hopefully being sent to the units that are being hit first this week for so-called “voluntary” handovers during this trumped-up false “amnesty” they are attempting to scare the patients with. When I saw the Memo sent by the Fresno Dist Attorney’s office with its veiled threats of prosecution for continuing to hold on to “contraband” property and offering the so-called “amnesty” I just laughed out loud. The damn thing isn’t even signed… it’s not worth the paper its printed on. Do they really think the guys at CSH are that stupid? They are so used to dealing with dopped up drooling, low functioning patients in this manner for so many decades that they don’t know what to do with the civil detainees…most of whom are better educated, better informed and more level-headed than a majority of the staff who oppress them. Bottom line in all this is not to give up ones rights voluntarily. Do not compromise with them. There are several men now going into the 6th day of a hunger strike in support of their brothers. We have to support them!

Hey there Irish. Thanks for the info, however, I am aware of all of that. I believe though that the more people in the community who contact the more agencies and benefit us greatly. I am including a link to probably the most important agency that we and the public can and should contact. The more people who contact this agency, I think, will compel them to at least do a minimal investigation into this place. If they were to do that, I believe that Pandora’s box will be blown wide open, and all of the corrupt and illegal actions of CSH and DSH will be pur into the open. NO PEACE NO JUSTICE.

I would like to recognize and thank David Kennerly for his sincere interest and efforts on behalf of the hostages at CSH. You are a Godsend Sir. I would also like to thank Janice Bellucci for her tireless efforts on their behalf. Thank you both very much.

Thank you, Steve but we all must remember, those of us who are not being “extraordinarily rendered” and incarcerated far beyond our prison release dates, that it could be any of us behind those spools of concertina wire in what must be seen as the frontlines of American injustice. I wish that I could do more. As for Janice, her efforts are extraordinary and, indeed, unprecedented. I will wait for her to detail the fantastic efforts which she is now bringing to the plight of Hosprisoners in Coalinga. She has now expanded her enthusiastic fanbase to include them, as well. 🙂

You certainly have got that right, David. Janice is the best thing that has come along for these men in a long, long time! What’s also good about that is of the nearly 1,000 or so who are civilly-detained at CSH in Coalinga, most all have families, friends and associates beyond those walls, and you can be sure they too will be hearing about Janice’s care, concern and diligence and the work of ACSOL. I truly hope that she is successful in the lawsuit filing in the federal Eastern District Court this week (1-24-18) to relieve the lockdown conditions the men are suffering under. At this point only a TRO (temporary restraining order) from a judge can stop the flagrant civil and human rights abuses being perpetrated against these citizen-voters. They are being treated worse than the foreign nationals being held in Guantanamo as war prisoners; even they are permitted to exercise their right to worship–and I believe they are allowed fresh air, sunshine and exercise a couple of times a day. Most people’s animals are too.

Wonderful! That is progress, at least. I would advise against feeling any gratitude towards CSH staff or administration, however. Their actions have been flagrant denials of basic liberties which Detainees are said to enjoy.

Phones are now– in most wings– 9-9, but they’ve started recording the name and number of everyone that calls in. AND dialing the phones for patient calls out, rather than letting the patients dial the phones themselves… and recording those numbers too.

They also only have one or two phones available instead of the usual 6-8. It’s like giving a dog a bite of steak, and dangling the rest just out of reach. 🙁

You should keep trying. Wait for a shift change, perhaps. I have not had any problems getting through to Unit 10 for several days. They have not asked who I am nor my phone number. It may show up on caller id, though.

I was just speaking with Mike St. Martin, Unit 10 of CSH, when there was some commotion in the background. He said “They’re taking away the phones again, I gotta go, bye.”

Just before that, he was explaining how the number of phones that were made available after the lockdown were greatly limited in number because staff are listening in on every phone call. CSH provides them with cordless, non-spread-spectrum, phones which can easily be monitored with scanners to make it easy for staff to listen in. Question: if the administration insists that they use their easy-to-listen-in-on phones and then does so, is that not illegal wiretapping? Ordinarily, listening in to someone’s phone that is not protected by encryption or spread-spectrum would not be illegal, as I understand it. Isn’t this different when the phone is provided by the one doing the listening and is the only phone they are permitted to use?

@David Kennerly:
CA is a dual-consent state when it comes to telephone calls. So unless you’ve given consent to (not just knowledge of) being eavesdropped or recorded, it would seem they are breaking the law. Their only way around it would be to advise all parties on the line they are being monitored and continued use constitutes consent (or something along that line).

Recognize that raising the issue could mean the phones are shut down…again. But that doesn’t undo their already having broken the law.

Maybe you should record the conversations. Get a blanket consent from your friend for all current and future communications. By doing so, you’re protected…and the CSH goons will quickly forget about it. But again, they may simply stop all phone calls.

AJ: “Recognize that raising the issue could mean the phones are shut down…again.” That may have been what just happened. It is very odd that he had just told me that they were listening in on phone calls using the method described, and then me telling him that it was clearly illegal – given their status – when they swooped in to seize the cordless phones. Very coincidental, I would say. I’m not sure what you mean here: “Maybe you should record the conversations. Get a blanket consent from your friend for all current and future communications. By doing so, you’re protected…and the CSH goons will quickly forget about it.” Sorry, what am I accomplishing by recording the call? Thanks!

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